INDIANAPOLIS – Initially, Aaron Holiday declares amnesia. There are no recollections of the first time he’d been admonished by his mother for his attitude on the basketball court.

Quickly, however, he reconsiders. Toya Holiday might read this and jog his memory about all of those technical fouls and blathering from being over-the-top competitive.

“I remember it a little bit,” says Holiday in reference to his time as a high school freshman at Campbell Hall in Los Angeles. “I will still hear that. It depends on what I do. Most of the criticism is if I mess up or something. But they also give me criticism if I did something good or I can do something better. It’s just helpful criticism, pretty much.”

The Pacers' 23rd overall pick in the NBA draft is the youngest – and smallest -- of three NBA sons to Shawn and Toya Holiday. His older sister, Lauren, played at UCLA as did Aaron and Jrue (Pelicans). Justin (Bulls) played at Washington.

Aaron spent three years there, starting as a freshman, losing his starting job to Lonzo Ball as a sophomore and regaining it as a junior when Holiday was first-team All-Pac 12, All-Defensive Team and the first Bruins player to lead the league in scoring since Pacers legend Reggie Miller in 1985-86.

If there are parents who could justify living off the resume of their offspring by being boisterous, clickbait headline-grabbing loudmouths, it's the Holidays.

That’s not in their DNA. It’s definitely not Aaron, which is why he appears to be a perfect match for the Pacers. It’s an organization that holds character in high regard and will pass on someone more talented to keep what it believes is a superior culture intact.

“I don’t know how much energy I have to scream right now but I was very happy I was drafted into the NBA,” Holiday says. “(However,) I expected to be here. It wasn’t a surprise to me. It wasn’t that big of a deal, I guess.”

The best player, All-Star Victor Oladipo, can’t stop talking about the culture every chance he gets. Holiday already is.

Buy Photo

Indiana Pacers first-round pick Aaron Holiday is introduced to the media by Pacers president of basketball operations Kevin Pritchard, left, at Bankers Life Fieldhouse on Friday, June 22, 2018.(Photo: Matt Kryger/IndyStar)

The parallels between them are strong in their demeanor, delivery and devoutness in their faith.

Aaron Holiday's parents prefer he show it first. It’s his turn to handle the spotlight and pressure of being a first-round pick who has a chance of taking over as a starting point guard one day. Losing his cool and throwing a tantrum on the court isn't a good look.

Forget having to face coach Nate McMillan or president Kevin Pritchard. It'll be Mom and Dad.

They've got this. Immediately, they'll point to his Christian upbringing to put Aaron Holiday back in line.

"Who are we trying to be and how do we work on it? … They don’t come out the womb that way. You have to work on it," Toya Holiday says as laryngitis tugs at her vocal cords.

She sounds part-counselor and part-theologian but 100 percent believer and mother.

"You have to work on the person you want to be," Toya Holiday said. "When people look at you, what do you want them to see?"

Shawn Holiday picks up where his wife's voice tails off.

“You have to remind them, ‘Hey, come on,’” he says. “You want Him to shine so if somebody comes to the game, even a little kid, you don’t want him to take home that ugliness. You want him to take home the goodness. You carry yourself in that way.”

'Got that dog in him'

Darren Collison and Cory Joseph, the two point guards on the roster ahead of Holiday, don’t have contracts beyond the 2018-19 season.

There’s a window there, if Holiday can vault himself through it, to earn that everyday-rotation spot. Pritchard doesn’t expect him to be ready to run the team in a year. That could require bringing in another veteran short-term; there's no way of knowing when or if that moment will come.

“I’ve been watching him since he was a freshman at UCLA,” Oladipo says of Holiday. “I know he’s gifted. He’s hungry, a great talent. Got that dog in him. I know he’s been under the radar a little bit, a little overlooked. He’ll fit, right?”

It’s uncommon for a player taken near the end of the first round to figure out the NBA quickly. Picks that late tend to be older than the one-and-done lottery selections. They may be undersized for their position or not as athletic or don't have the eye-popping measurables such as wingspan and vertical leap.

In the end, those are just numbers. A snapshot of what that player could be. It doesn’t tell much about who he truly is. Not what's on the inside.

“We’re even-keeled. Not too high. Not too low,” says Shawn Holiday, who’d wear headphones listening to music while he filmed his sons’ games in high school. “It’s something they pick up from us.”

May 8, 2018; Oakland, CA, USA; New Orleans Pelicans guard Jrue Holiday (11) passes the basketball against Golden State Warriors forward David West (3) and guard Shaun Livingston (34) during the first quarter in game five of the second round of the 2018 NBA Playoffs at Oracle Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports(Photo: Kyle Terada, Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports)

Although Aaron played on the AAU circuit, he hasn’t picked up any of the bad habits that can come with it. He cares about defense (like Jrue, All-NBA Defensive first team). He’s not about his own statistics. In other words, he’s the type of player who fits Indiana.

Shawn Holiday, who played two years at Arizona State, had a defense-first mentality. He met Toya there when she starred for the women’s team.

“We do emphasize defense. You can’t really teach it,” Shawn says. “You have to have it in your heart. If you don’t really work hard or want it, you won’t be good at it. And they bought in to it. From my daughter all the way up, they all play defense.”

Toya, assistant athletic director and ninth-grade dean at Campbell Hall, coached their daughter, Lauren, when she ran the varsity team from 2003-15.

The bar is high. They expect much from their children, and that includes academics.

“If they can be competitive on the court, they should be competitive in the classroom,” Toya Holiday says. “You should always do your best, whatever your best is. You should really strive to do your best. If you don’t make that mark, next time let’s try to make it.”

Discipline

There’s only so much Jrue and Justin can tell Aaron about the NBA. And even though he’s repeatedly asked about their advice, the rookie insists that he has learned for a while by observing them.

He’ll have to go through it.

He went through those aggravating times playing with them and Lauren in the front yard without success.

“It was fun,” Aaron says, “but I hated losing.”

The Pacers are about winning now. They were a surprise with 48 victories last season and pushing the Cleveland Cavaliers to seven games in the first round of the playoffs.

As Holiday started play with the Las Vegas summer league squad Friday, his development is a focal point there along with second-year forward T.J. Leaf, his former UCLA teammate. He led all scorers with 23 points, making 3 of 6 3s and instantly showing he was a cut above everyone.

With the moves made in free agency up to this point – signing Doug McDermott and Tyreke Evans for better 3-point shooting and Kyle O'Quinn for rebounding – the core is in place for the Pacers with Oladipo, Collison, Joseph, Myles Turner, Thad Young, Bojan Bogdanovic and Domantas Sabonis.

Buy Photo

Indiana Pacers first-round pick Aaron Holiday is introduced to the media at Bankers Life Fieldhouse on Friday, June 22, 2018.(Photo: Matt Kryger/IndyStar)

This will be the first time in a long time that Holiday sits on the bench for extended periods. He’ll have to settle for garbage minutes, or G-League assignments.

Swoons will happen. He might even get down on himself, but he’s sure to heed his mother’s words about his composure.

Everyone is still watching, even when he might think no one sees him.

At this moment, Shawn Holiday has his arms crossed and couldn't be happier as he watches Aaron hold court for endless photo-ops and a chorus line of TV interviews.

Despite having lost her voice, Toya Holiday is determined to be heard anyway. In a good way. Though she's resolute, she's full of joy and easy on the ears.

They never pushed Aaron, who shares the same agent (Charles Briscoe) as Justin, or any of their children to follow in their footsteps by playing basketball.

“We'd go work out. If you don’t do what I tell you we’re going home and do it tomorrow," Shawn said. "That hurt worse.”

The discipline was that simple.

It'll be a comparable hurt for Aaron Holiday if he were to disappoint them now, and that goes beyond playing time or points-per-game average.

He has yet to grasp everything the Pacers want from him, but he'll give it his best. That's all any team that drafts and invests in a player asks for in return and they can live with the results.

Posted!

A link has been posted to your Facebook feed.

Indiana Pacers first-round pick Aaron Holiday is introduced to the media by Pacers president of basketball operations Kevin Pritchard, left, at Bankers Life Fieldhouse on Friday, June 22, 2018. Matt Kryger/IndyStar

Indiana Pacers first-round pick Aaron Holiday is introduced to the media by Pacers president of basketball operations Kevin Pritchard, left, at Bankers Life Fieldhouse on Friday, June 22, 2018. Matt Kryger/IndyStar

Indiana Pacers first-round pick Aaron Holiday is introduced to the media by Pacers president of basketball operations Kevin Pritchard, left, at Bankers Life Fieldhouse on Friday, June 22, 2018. Matt Kryger/IndyStar